Известия Уральского федерального университета. Серия 2: Гуманитарные науки (Jun 2018)
The Image of the Invisible Cross in the Russian Lyrical Poetry of the 20th Century: From The Twelve by Blok to the Roman Diary by Vyacheslav Ivanov
Abstract
Referring to works of four poets, the author analyses a special image of the “invisible cross” that appears when horizontal and vertical poetic images come into contact. In Boris Pasternak’s poem Winter Night, it is formed by the image of windstorm and candles in the first stanza, in Blok’s The Twelve by crossing the lines from the “black sky” to the “white snow” with the “wind line”. In Georgy Ivanov’s poem, the image of the “invisible cross” appears from the troika’s movement and the image of the falling “black music by Blok”. The image of “windstorm” in Pasternak’s poem and that of “Blok’s music” in Ivanov’s poem allude to The Twelve. All the three works refer to the same historical reality: the collapse of former Russia and the uncertainty of human destiny in the tragic period of history. In Vyacheslav Ivanov’s poem written in Rome on 23 May 1944, the image of the “invisible cross” is also present. However, it appears when comparing the first and second stanzas of the poem. The first stanza represents the European image of the world, which is characterised as “vertical” which is accentuated by the images of “Gothic churches” and “cyclopic hammer”. The second stanza represents the “horizontal” image of the world, characteristic for Russia, accentuated by the images of “ways”, and “rails”. Every stanza contains details adding to the sensation of instability of both historical entities. The third verse is like looking from space at the earth and at the historical path of humanity, which has led it to the current war. The image found by Ivanov could emerge as a result of his life in Rome and his memory of Russia. At the same time, the perseverance with which the “invisible cross” appears in works of different authors at different times makes the image typical of the entire twentieth century.
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